Means for automatically switching on the parking lights of vehicles



July 28, 1959 A. L. BURNETT ETAL MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY swncamc ON THE PARKING LIGHTS 0F VEHICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 5, 1957 lNvENToRs ALBERT [Ex v18 Bale W577 JOHN fi/heoo JflowsLL HM ,J 5

AT TORN EY y 1959 A. BURNETT ET AL 2,897,301 MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY SWITCHING ON I THE PARKING LIGHTS OF VEHICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 3, 1957 I I I J ywdaaw m A'r'rokNaY United States Patent Q MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY SWITCHING ON THE PARKING LIGHTS OF VEHICLES Albert Lewis Burnett and John Harold Showell, Cheltenham, England Application April 3, 1957, Serial No. 650,530

3 Claims. (Cl. 200-35) This invention is concerned with means actuated by a clock mechanism for automatically switching on the parking lights of vehicles.

The invention has for one of its objects to provide means of a more simple and reliable character than those previously known which can be pre-set before leaving the vehicle to operate at any selected time to automatically switch on the parking lights of the vehicle without further attention.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for automatically switching on the parking lights of avehicle comprising a clock mechanism having an hour hand, means operatively associated with said clock mechanism and which can be set to cause automatic operation at any predetermined time of switch mechanism arranged in parallel with the existing parking light switch of the vehicle, to switch on the parking lights, and indicating means showing the time to which the switch operating means are set.

Means are provided whereby the switch mechanism is automatically retained in the closed or current-passing position after it has been moved to such position by said operating means, the retaining means being manually operable to enable the switch mechanism to return to the open position when desired, eg when the switch operating means are to be re-set or when the vehicle is returned to its garage, A manually operable switch may be arranged in series with the switch mechanism to prevent the parking lights being switched on by the latter when the lights are not required.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of the switching means,

Figure 2 is a front view of the switching means with the hands and face of the clock mechanism removed, the switch operating means being shown in the position in which they are set prior to switching on the parking lights,

Figures 3 and 4 are side and end elevations on a larger scale of the switching means shown in Figures 1 and 2, the views being taken in the direction of the arrows III and IV of Figure 2 respectively,

Figure 5 is a substantially similar view to Figure 2 but with the switch operating means in the position to which they are moved to close the switch mechanism and switch on the parking lights of the vehicle,

Figure 6 illustrates on a larger scale the switch operating means in the position shown in Figure 5 on the line VI-VI of that figure, and

Figure 7 diagrammatically illustrates the parking light circuit of a vehicle with the switching means installed therein.

Referring to Figures 1 to 6 of the drawings, in the switching means 10 illustrated therein a clock mechanism 11 of the type used in alarm clocks is employed, only the relevant portions of such clock mechanism being shown. The usual gearwheel 12 of the clock mechanism r 2,897,301 Patented July 28, 1959 11, which rotates in synchronism with the hour hand 13 of the clock and moves axially on its shaft 14 upon reaching a predetermined angular position to cause operation of the alarm hammer, not illustrated, is employed to operate the switch mechanism indicated generally at 15. The switch mechanism 15 comprises a contact 16 mounted on the front plate 17 of the clock mechanism 11 and insulated therefrom and an insulated spring blade 18 also supported from the front plate by a spacing bracket 19 and which carries at its free end a second contact 20 which is normally spaced from the first contact 16 but is pressed thereagainst, as shown in Figure 6, to complete the parking light circuit of the vehicle.

The operating means 21 of the switch mechanism 15 comprise a lever 22 which is pivoted intermediate its ends to a bracket 23 carried by the front plate 17 of the clock mechanism 11 and disposed between the switch mechanism and the aforesaid gearwheel 12, the pivot 24 being arranged so that the lever rocks in a plane normal to the front plate. Towards one end 22a the lever 22 carries an insulating sleeve 25 which rests on the free end of the spring blade 18 of the switch mechanism 15 whilst the opposite end 22b of the lever overlies the front or outer face of the gearwheel 12 and is pressed inwardly against such face by the outward thrust of the spring blade. Either end of the lever 22 may be provided with an adjusting screw to take up any play between the gearwheel, lever and switch assembly. In the arrangement illustrated a screw 26 is provided at the end 22b of the lever for such purpose.

It will be appreciated that when the gearwheel 12 is turned by operation of the clock mechanism 11 to the position in which the alarm hammer would normally be released, the gearwheel moves outwardly along its shaft 14- and carries with it the adjacent end 22b of the lever, in consequence of which the spring blade 18 of the switch mechanism 15 is moved inwardly from the position shown in Figure 3 to that shown in Figure 6 by the other end 22a of the lever and the contacts 16, 20 are closed to switch on the parking lights of the vehicle. As shown diagrammatically in Figure 7 the two contacts 16, 20 of the switch mechanism 15 are connected in parallel across the existing parking light switch 27 so that when the contacts are closed in the above-described manner the parking lights 28 are switched on automatically at the time to which the alarm hand 29, Figure 1, of the clock mechanism 11, which forms the aforesaid indicating means, is set.

In order to prevent the switch contacts 16, 20 opening and the parking lights 28 being turned off when further rotation of the gearwheel 12 causes it to be moved inwardly along its shaft 14 by the usual sloping face 30d of the cam 30 of such gearwheel, a trigger mechanism 31 is provided which comes into operation to hold the contacts in the closed position to which they have been moved by the gearwheel, regardless of any subsequent inward movement of the latter.

Such trigger mechanism comprises a trigger 32 pivoted at a point intermediate its ends on a pivot 33, the trigger being loaded by means of .a tension spring 34 so that one end 35 of the trigger presses transversely against the end 22a of the lever 22 when the latter is in the position in which the contacts 16, 20 are open, as shown in Figure 2. The thickness of the end 35 of the trigger 32 is such that when the end 22a of the lever 22 moves inwardly to close the contacts 16, 20 the trigger 32 swings about its pivot 33 to the position shown in Figure 5 in which the end 35 of the trigger overrides the end 22a of the which returns the trigger mechanism against the loading of the spring 34 to its original position and releases the contacts 16, 20 when it is desired to switch off the parking lights 28 or re-set the alarm mechanism of the clock mechanism 11.

An overriding manually operable'switch '39, Figure 7, is preferably arranged in series with the switch contacts 16, 20 so that the parking lights 28 are not'undesirably switched on when the contacts are closed by the lever 22. Preferably the clock mechanism 11 is of the type which operates for approximately twelve hours when fully wound so that the switch mechanism only operates once for each winding of the clock mechanism. This prevents the parking lights 28 being switched on in the morning, for example, if the overriding switch 39 is inadvertently left in its on position.

In an alternative circuit arrangement shown in broken lines in Figure 7 the existing parking light switch 27 may be replaced by a two-way switch 40 having a central neutral position, the switch in one of its closed positions shown in chain-dotted lines at 41 establishing a circuit 42 leading through the contacts 16, mounted on the clock mechanism 11 whilst in its other closed position shown in full lines it switches on the parking lights 28 in the normal manner, the neutral position of the switch being the normal off position.

To ensure that the parking lights 28 of a vehicle to which the automatic switching means are fitted are switched on at the appropriate time the clock mechanism 11 is wound up and the alarm hand 29 set so that the alarm gearwheel 12 will operate at lighting-up time. There is, of course, no necessity to wind up the alarm mechanism of the clock as such mechanism in no way enters into the operation of the switch mechanism 15 of the invention.

In order to give a clear indication that the switch operating means 21 are set in the position in which the parking lights 28 will be switched on at the appropriate time a window 43 is provided in the dial face of the clock mechanism 11 with which the end 38 of' the trigger 32 comes into'register when the switch operating means are in the set position shown in Figure 2 so that such end of the trigger can be seen through the window. If desired the end 38 of the trigger 32 may be painted with luminous paint to enable it to be more clearly seen.

Although the invention has been described as embodying an alarm clock mechanism 11 it will be appreciated that the invention is in no way confined to such mechanism and switch mechanism 15 operable by rotation of a gearwheel rotating in synchronism with the hour hand of any convenient clock mechanism could be employed.

We claim:

1. Means for switching on the parking lights of a vehicle comprising the combination with a clock mechanism including a spring-loaded gearwheel which rotates in synchronism with an hour hand of the clock mechanism, a shaft on which said gearwheel freely rotates and is axially slidable, and a cam surface, fixed relatively to said gearwheel for rotation and axial sliding movement therewith, to cause said gearwheel to move axially and outwardly under the influence of its spring-loading along said shaft upon reaching a predetermined angular position, of a spring blade anchored at one end to said clock mechanism, a contact carried by the free end of said spring blade, a further contact with which said contact cooperates and arranged inwardly of said cont-act with respect to the clock mechanism so that a gap is left between the contacts, a lever pivoted intermediate its ends, a pivot carried by the clock mechanism for said lever about which the lever rocks in a plane normal to said gearwheel, one end of said lever resting upon the free end of said spring blade at a point adjacent said cont-act whilst its opposite end cooperates with the outer face of said gearwheel outward axial sliding movement of which causes rocking movement of the lever about said pivot to move said spring blade and close said contact and said further contact, a spring-loaded trigger pivotally mounted on the clock mechanism to rock in a plane normal to the axis of the gearwheel and which presses transversely against the lever at a point adjacent the spring blade before axial movement of the gearwheel occurs and automatically moves under its spring-loading to a position in which it overlies the lever when said axial movement of the gearwheel has taken place so that the lever is held in the position in which said contact and said further contact are closed, and manually operable means for retunning the trigger to its original position against the spring loading.

2. Means for switching on the parking lights of a vehicle comprising the combination with a clock mechanism including a spring-loaded gearwheel which rotates in synchronism with an hour hand of the clock mechanism, and a shaft on which said gearwheel freely rotates and is axially slidable, said gearwheel having a cam surface which causes said gearwheel to move axially and outwardly under the influence of its spring-loading along said shalft upon reaching a predetermined angular position, of a spring blade anchored at one end to said clock mechanism, a contact carried by the free end of such blade, a further contact with which said contact cooperates and arranged inwardly of said contact with respect to the clock mechanism so that a gap is left between the contacts, a lever pivoted substantially at its centre, a pivot carried by the clock mechanism, and arranged between the free end of said spring blade and said gearwheel, for said lever and about which the lever rocks in a plane normal to said gearwheel, one end of said lever resting upon the free end of said spring blade at a point adjacent said contact whilst its opposite end cooperates with the outer face of said gearwheel outward axial sliding movement of which causes rocking movement of the lever about its centre to move said spring blade and close said contact and said further contact, a screw carried at one end of said lever so as to be capable of adjustment relatively to the latter in the plane in which the lever rocks to allow play between the gearwheel, lever and spring blade to be taken up, a spring-loaded trigger pivotally mounted on the clock mechanism to rock in a plane normal to the axis of the gearwheel and which presses transversely against the lever at a point adjacent the spring blade before axial movement of the gearwheel occurs and automatically moves under its spring-loading to a position in which it overlies the lever when said axial movement of the gearwheel has taken place so that the lever is held in the, position in which said contact and said further contact are closed, and manually operable means for returning the trigger to its original position against the springloading.

3. Means according to claim 2, wherein the trigger is pivoted at a point intermediate its ends one of which overlies the lever when said axial movement of the gearwheel occurs, said manually operable means comprising a flexible release a spring-loaded plunger of which cooperates with the opposite end of the trigger to return the latter to its original position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,154,193 Marrow Sept. 21, 1915 1,189,651 Adsit July 4, 1916 1,317,893 Roberts Oct. 7, 1919 1,673,380 Trenwith June 12, 1928 1,795,251 Dolgin Mar. 3, 1931 1,893,904 Petrus Jan. 10, 1933 2,116,247 MacDonald May 3, 1938 

